9 Best Attractions To Visit In Massachusetts
From the Mayflower to the Boston Tea Party to the battles at Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts, to a large extent, is the cradle of the United States. However, aside from its many historical sites and sacred spots, the Bay State is known as a place of high culture and a deep intellectual tradition. Boston, for example, has been called the “Athens of America.” More than that, Massachusetts can also be drenchingly beautiful, with places like Martha's Vineyard and the Berkshires offering some of the most delicious views in New England. The truth is, Massachusetts brims with so many delightful attractions that it is difficult to pick the best ones. Still, from phenomenal eateries to world-famous museums, discover the 9 best attractions to visit in Massachusetts.
Kowloon Restaurant In Saugus
It may come off as strange to pick an eatery as among the best places to visit in Massachusetts, but if good food is an attraction, then the iconic Kowloon Restaurant in Saugus deserves a pat. Kowloon has been around since 1950 and has played host to many celebrities over the years. With an interior seating capacity of 1,200, it holds the coveted distinction of having the largest seating capacity among Chinese food restaurants in America. Their outdoor venue, another awesome alternative, especially if the weather plays along, offers another 600 seats.
As for flavours, expect anything from Chinese to Cantonese to Sichuan to Japanese to Thai to Polynesian, all served throughout several vibrant themed dining rooms and lounges. The best part is that each themed dining room has its unique décor and ambiance. The number one item on the restaurant’s colossal menu is the PU PU Platter. Komedy Klub is an entertainment complex on the second level of their building that regularly hosts comedians, meaning your dining experience will be punctuated by a decent number of good laughs. You will identify Kowloon by the famous A-frame Tiki Pagoda at the entrance, which you cannot miss when driving along Rt. 1.
The Museum Of Fine Arts, Boston
If you believe that great works of art can deepen our understanding of life and the world around us, then museums should be among our most valuable attractions. And in the pantheon of museums, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston occupies a prominent position. With a collection that spans almost 500,000 works of art, the MFA is one of the most comprehensive art museums on the planet. The museum was founded in 1870, meaning it has been around for over 150 years. Therefore, it doubles up as an evocative slice of history by itself.
Although known for its mind-boggling variety, highlights include a major collection of Asian art, some of which dates from 4000 BCE. It also keeps the largest collection outside France of paintings by Claude Monet, one of the founders of the Impressionism movement. You will also explore the world’s foremost collection of 19th-century American art, the only permanent exhibition space for ancient coins in the United States, as well as one of the world’s finest collections of Egyptian Old Kingdom objects. Keep in mind that the number of galleries here is North of 100. You may want to narrow down on “The Revolutionary Boston and New Nation” Gallery, which keeps John Singleton Copley’s “Paul Revere” and Thomas Sully’s expansive “Passage of the Delaware,” the well-known image of George Washington on horseback.
The Freedom Trail In Boston
If anything can be described as “Walking Into History,” it has to be the Freedom Trail in Boston. The 2.5-mile red-bricked path leads to 16 nationally significant historic sites, each of which has an authentic treasure to explore. The trail tells the story of the American Revolution through several creative ways, especially through its unique collection of museums, old churches, meeting houses, burying grounds, parks, a ship, and several other historic markers. There are several tours to experience at the trail, including Walk Into History, arguably the most popular. It highlights the revolutionary history that took place at 11 of the 16 official Freedom Trail historic sites and takes place daily.
On the Revolutionary Women Tour, which is offered only on Saturdays, you will discover the women who took part in the American Revolution, and the generations of women who followed. The trail starts at the glorious Boston Common, America's oldest public park. It was established in 1634. It concludes in Charlestown, one of the oldest neighborhoods in the United States, known for its rich Colonial and Revolutionary history. Other highlights include the old Massachusetts State House, with its dazzling gold dome; Park Street Church, known for shaping Boston's political and religious life; and Granary Burying Ground, the final resting place of men like John Hancock, Paul Revere, and Samuel Adams.
Walden Pond In Concord
Concord is just 20 miles west of Boston and is often celebrated as the site of one of the first battles of the American Revolution. However, aside from its Revolutionary War heritage and history, Concord was once the hub and epicentre of transcendental philosophy through men like Ralph Waldo Emerson, known for his “Concord Hymn,” Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Henry David Thoreau, whose most famous works include “Walden” and “Civil Disobedience.” It is right here that Thoreau penned the thought-provoking “Walden,” amidst the allure of an untouched wilderness. He wrote that he went to the woods because he wished to live “deliberately… to cut a broad swath and shave close, to drive life into a corner, and reduce it to its lowest terms.”
You can explore the replica of Thoreau’s historic one-room cabin and then take a memorable walk on any of the reservation’s peaceful hiking trails, many of which feature wildflowers, friendly critters, and unexpected coves. There is also a 64 ½-acre pond, where you can take a dip. The Concord Museum, where you pass by afterwards, keeps Thoreau’s bed, desk, and chair.
Norman Rockwell Museum In Stockbridge
Even if you are learning about it for the first time, Stockbridge has probably been in your mind, even if unknowingly. This is because of James Taylor’s popular 1970 lullaby “Sweet Baby James.” A popular line includes the words, “The first of December was covered with snow, and so was the turnpike from Stockbridge to Boston.” Photogenically tucked into the Berkshire hills, Stockbridge hosts the world-famous Norman Rockwell Museum. The talented artist for whom the museum is named lived in Stockbridge from 1953 until he died in 1978 at the age of 84.
This phenomenal space, just a short ride from Main Street, houses the largest collection of original Norman Rockwell art in the world. One of Rockwell’s most well-known Christmas scenes is certainly “Stockbridge Main Street at Christmas,” which took about 11 years to complete. A visit to Stockbridge means you can see the buildings as they look today, and compare them to their painted counterparts.
The Bridge Of Flowers In Shelburne Falls
Flowers are one-of-a-kind dictators because they can force you to smile even if you don't want to. And there's no better place to experience their warmth, cheery spirit, and colorful dresses than at the Bridge of Flowers in Shelburne Falls. The good part is that the bridge has now been reopened after having been closed for about a year for renovations that reportedly cost $3,198,000. The story of the Bridge of Flowers is as interesting as the flowers themselves are heart-stirring. It is a story of turning lemons into lemonade, of transforming what was once an abhorred eyesore into one of the most sought-after attractions in Massachusetts.
Today, it does not matter whether your focus will be on the tiny purple violets at your feet or the towering, twisting wisteria overhead. Whatever your idea of beauty, you will feel like a kid in a candy shop. Several types of flowers are here and in all colors of the rainbow. There is also a small memorial dedicated to the veterans of World Wars I and II who lived in the area.
Purgatory Chasm In Sutton
Purgatory Chasm State Reservation is a protected state park in Sutton and one of the most unique natural places in New England. The truth is that a name like Purgatory Chasm will evoke different kinds of emotions, perhaps even make the hair stand on end. Still, it does not matter whether you believe that the deep depressions are the handiwork of devils, a swinging tomahawk, or the consequences of violent geological activities. The Purgatory Chasm is still a mind-bending geological wonder. It has inspired novels, poems, and even a song. The trick is to have a steady heart (and hands) because you will be clambering over rocks, sometimes with both hands, in the initial descent to the 1/4-mile-long chasm. Highlights include a rivet called “Fat Man’s Misery,” a tomahawk strike called “Devil’s Corn Crib,” and a unique rock formation called “The Devil’s Pulpit.”
Louisa May Alcott's House In Concord
Louisa May Alcott Orchard House presents another reason for Massachusetts to flaunt its visit-worthy bragging rights. Although there are several places to feast your eyes on in Concord, including some fine museums and historical markers, the Louisa May Alcott Orchard House deserves a special mention. Alcott was born in 1832 in Philadelphia, and would later study under famed philosopher Henry David Thoreau and popular authors Ralph Waldo Emerson and Nathanial Hawthorne. She soon started dipping her toes into writing and, in 1868, published her most popular work, Little Women. The novel was a resounding success and cemented Alcott as one of the foremost novelists of the 19th and early 20th century.
A few years later, Alcott published another classic, Little Men. She lived in Boston for a while and spent her final years there. Louisa Alcott’s story goes back to the 1850s, when Amos Bronson Alcott purchased 12 acres of land with an orchard of 40 apple trees and a manor house that had been on the property since the 1660s. It is here that the daughter, Louisa May Alcott, wrote the classic, “Little Women.” Today, the rooms look almost as they did when the Alcotts lived here, and a visit here is often like a walk through Little Women.
The Icon Museum And Study Center, Clinton
Clinton is a small industrial town just north of Worcester, and you may wonder what in the world would draw you to its slow-paced precincts. However, if you will not come to enjoy the scenic water views, a classy downtown architecture and charming Central Park, or to marvel at what was once the world’s largest public water supply, you will certainly lace up for the Icon Museum And Study Center, formerly known as the Museum of Russian Icons, which is special for housing more than 1,000 Russian, Greek, and Ethiopian icons along with numerous other Orthodox works of art.
For perspective, this is the only museum in the United States exclusively dedicated to Russian icons. It holds the largest collection of such kinds of exhibits in North America, and one of the largest private collections outside of Russia. Not just that, the complex includes a former historic mill, courthouse, and jail. The story of the museum is the story of Gordon B. Lankton, a curious plastics engineer who was attracted to a small icon of Saint Nicholas during a business trip to Moscow. The rest, as they say, is history.
The Takeaway
There is something about Massachusetts that you can't find anywhere else. Something about how it combines revolutionary history, world-class culture, and mind-bending outdoor beauty into one unforgettable travel destination. You will walk along historic bridges, step on sites that shaped America's beginnings, visit rustic cabins and stylish mansions from where books were penned that marked high points in the world of literature, and feast your eyes on radiant flowers and white-sand beaches. Whatever sets your heart aflame, The Bay State has it.
